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Interactive Arts Media I Syllabus

Course: Arts Col 740 #02460-6
Time: Monday/Wednesday 5:30pm - 7:18pm
Location: 1224 Kinnear Road room 205

Instructor: Jeremy Patterson
Email: jpatters.accad@gmail.com
Office Hours: 7:30pm - 9:30pm or by appointment
Course Website: http://accad.osu.edu/~jpatters/740/
Syllabus [pdf]: Interactive Arts Media I Syllabus
System Support: dbertram@accad.ohio-state.edu
Calendar: http://accad.osu.edu/~jpatters/740/calendar.php
Projects: http://accad.osu.edu/~jpatters/740/assignments.php

Required Materials

An active Safari O’Reilly (http://safari.oreilly.com/) Basic account with at least ten bookshelf slots.

Description

Interactive Arts Media | focuses on developing interactive media for web delivery. Much as a painter must first learn color theory and 2-dimensional design concepts, so must an interactive developer learn the fundamentals of their medium. Thus, the course will first introduce fundamental web development concepts using minimal development tools in order to reinforce technique that may be applied beyond the scope of this introductory class. For instance, the course will begin with the nature of how the web functions as a content delivery medium, concepts of markup, hierarchy within markup, tag structures (XHTML), and styling tag structures using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). After learning these core concepts, the course will then move on to demonstrate tools which improve interactive media production efficiency. The course will not teach production of web media solely through high-level tools such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, but rather will teach web production concepts and then tools, such as Dreamweaver, that make interactive development easier.

Class lectures and assignments will reinforce the following fundamental concepts:

1. Simple web concepts (How media is delivered over the web)
2. Simple web production concepts (XHTML/CSS)
3. Information design for the web
4. Development tools that speed up web content production (Macromedia Dreamweaver)
5. Graphic design for the web
6. Graphic development tools for web design/graphic production (Macromedia  Fireworks)
7. Simple interactivity for the web via JavaScript
8. Using tools for site management (Macromedia Dreamweaver)
9. Introduction to advanced web media types (Quicktime video, Macromedia Flash)

The course will rely heavily on the web as a information resource. O’Reilly Safari online (http://safari.oreilly.com/) will act as a main source of class reading assignments and information gathering. Safari offers the best aspect of web research: ease of information location, with the added benefit of being a highly regarded and well-respected information resource. The information provided on this service is well researched by professionals, and can be trusted as definitive. Most reading assignments for this course will be provided through the O’Reilly Safari service. Assigned readings for this course are very important as a supplement to in class demonstrations, and students are expected to complete all assigned readings before class begins.

Interactive Arts Media I will use Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) as its standardized development platform. All content created for this course should run without issue in Firefox release 1.5 and above. If content does not run without flaw in Firefox 1.5 and above, the student's grade will be adversely affected.

Course Projects

• Assignment 1: Simple biography web page - 5% of final grade
• Assignment 2: Site Architecture - 10% of final grade
• Assignment 3: Site Design - 15% of final grade
• Assignment 4: Site Development - 25% of final grade
• Assignment 5: Final Project - Interactive Tool - 25% of final grade
• In class task 1: Utilizing XHTML and CSS - 5% of final grade
• In class task 2: A simple interactive page - 5% of final grade
• Attendance and class participation - 10% of final grade

Grading Scale

A - 90% and above
B - 80% and above
C - 70% and above
D - 60% and above
E - 59% or below

Grading Policy

Students will be graded on their class attendance and participation, as well as completion of assigned projects. Projects are comprised of base level criteria, which students can meet for an average level grade. Students are expected to produce professional level content that demonstrates a mastery of raw technique as well as an attention to aesthetic quality. In the case of interactive media, a professional level result is aesthetically pleasing while functionally sound. ‘A’ level work is a well-designed piece which meets and exceeds all base requirements. ‘C’ level work simply meets the base requirements set forth for each project. Work that is ‘D’ level and below fails to meet any or all of the project’s base requirements.

Projects must be completed on time and submitted at the beginning of the class on the day they are due. Projects that are submitted late will receive a lower score.

Students are graded on the quality of the project as well as the mastery of technique. In order to assess technique, the source material will be evaluated to ensure that methodologies taught in class are utilized for the final result for each assignment.

Attendance and participation are mandatory parts of the course. Students are expected to participate in class critiques of projects, as well as discussion pertaining to example work.

Academic Dishonesty

Any and all suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to university procedures. Students are referred to the student handbook for further information on academic dishonesty and the accompanying procedures and penalties.

• code of student conduct

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
It is the intent of the University and its instructors to provide access to support services and programs that enable students with disabilities to succeed in this course. Students with disabilities are responsible for making their needs known to the instructor and seeking available assistance in a timely manner. Students will be referred to the Office for Disability Services (ODS), located in Pomerene Hall, for further assistance (call 614-292-3307 or visit 150 Pomerene Hall).

Personal Safety

The University Escort Service operates until 3am when classes are in session (i.e. not during quarter breaks and University holidays), and will assist OSU students who live off campus as well as on campus. The University Escort Service can be contacted at 614-292-3322, and scheduled pick-ups are taken in advance.

Course Bibliography

HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition
By Bill Kennedy, Chuck Musciano
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: August 2002
ISBN: 0-596-00382-X

Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide
By Eric Meyer
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: May 2000
ISBN: 1-56592-622-6

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 2nd Edition
By Peter Morville, Louis Rosenfeld
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: August 2002
ISBN: 0-596-00035-9

Macromedia® Dreamweaver® 8 UNLEASHED
By Zak Ruvalcaba
Publisher: Sams
Pub Date: October 07, 2005
ISBN: 0-672-32760-0

Macromedia® Fireworks® 8: Training from the Source
By Patti Schulze
Publisher: Macromedia
Pub Date: September 29, 2005
ISBN: 0-321-33591-0

Macromedia® Flash® 8: A Tutorial Guide
By jay armstrong, jen dehaan
Publisher: Macromedia
Pub Date: October 06, 2005
ISBN: 0-321-39414-3